New Bloomberg-Friendly Third Party Looking for Ballot Access in Michigan

Forget “No Labels” for a second. Is there yet another effort underfoot to create a third party that could put Mike Bloomberg on the ballot in 2012? 

Last Friday, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers heard from a group called “Americans Elect,” which had submitted a “new political party” petition form. After the vote, Lansing’s MIRS News interviewed Board chairman Christopher Thomas about the application.

Only 32,261 signatures would have to be submitted by July, 2012 to place the party on the ballots.  In response to a question about the American Elect Party, Thomas informed the Board that he believed it was the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg party.  “He’s denied it, but that’s what has been reported in the press,” Thomas said. 

What is the American Elect Party? Its web site is basically content-free, although its mission is to “organize an Internet-based convention to nominate a presidential ticket in 2012 that will bridge the vital center of American opinion.” Its address is listed as 1775 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1212, in downtown Washington, D.C. That’s also the address of Unity12 , the successor to the de facto Draft Bloomberg group Unity08. Both Unity12 and the American Elect Party are headed up by Jim Jonas , who was the CEO of Unity08.

In 2008, an effort to force Bloomberg into the race by collecting ballot signatures for him went nowhere; the party behind the stunt ended up nominated the very un-Bloomberg conservative Chuck Baldwin instead. But if you were wondering if Unity08 was still alive, here’s your answer.

Thanks to Dennis Lennox for bringing this to my attention.